PC based advanced process control applied to upstream gas processing plants: a chronology

Through discussions with Continental Controls and the Gas Research Institute (GRI), an innovative personal computer (PC) based system for upstream gas facilities was designed in the early 1990s. The primary criteria would be to develop a low-cost system based on first principle modeling which could be implemented in modules and supported by gas plant personnel (i.e., not require on-site advanced process control engineers). To reduce cost and sophistication, the approach would utilize statistically generated polynomials as the predictive models. The PC would communicate with the facility´s existing, traditional feedback controls to gather input measurement data and to dispatch computed controller setpoints. The article describes the development of the system and its subsequent use and alteration